The state Urban Planning Department recently informed the Morbi municipality of the scathing findings, which were presented by the five-member SIT in December 2022. Other serious errors include not limiting the amount of people using the bridge, selling tickets to tourists without discrimination, and performing repairs without consulting technical experts.
Source: The Hindu
The report is a criticism of the Oreva Group’s operations, which were in charge of managing and maintaining the British-era suspension bridge across the Machchhu River. The Gujarat High Court had accepted Oreva’s proposal to provide financial comfort to the relatives of the victims last month, but hurried to clarify that doing so would not free the organisation of responsibility. Due diligence should have been used in the municipality’s dealings with Oreva, which is also at fault.
It is obvious that a great number of lives were lost as a result of criminal negligence. To ensure that the harmed families receive both compensation and justice as soon as possible, the trial should be expedited and ended within a set period of time. There is a pressing need to prevent another instance of the slowness that exacerbates the families’ suffering.
Source: India Times
The protracted legal struggle in the Uphaar fire case has demonstrated how slowly and irregularly the criminal justice system functions. Significantly, the SIT has advised that a register be kept for every public structure and that regular audits and inspections be conducted to detect any unsafe ones. This is crucial for states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, which use suspension bridges often.
A Morbi-like tragedy can be averted only if the standard operating procedure is firmed up and strictly enforced.
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